Page 34 of Breaking Rules

I didn’t know which would be the better of the two possibilities.

Not that either of them would be too problematic. I had excellent lawyers and a defensible reason for what I’d done. Even without a law degree, I could think of half a dozen ways I would come out on top. I just preferred to not have to deal with the headache it’d cause.

Lumen was by her desk, gathering up her things when I stepped into her room. A quick scan around the room said she was alone.

“Where’s my daughter?”

Lumen spun around, her hand going to her chest. “Dammit, Alec! You scared me.” Then she frowned. “What are you doing here?”

That single question struck fear into me. “What do you mean? Where is Evanne?”

She looked puzzled rather than worried, which calmed me some, because if she thought Evanne was missing, she wouldn’t have been so calm. Still, I needed her to answer my question.

“Evanne’s mother picked her up several minutes ago.”

I clenched my teeth. “I didn’t know.”

“Keli Miller is still on the approved list for drop-offs and pick-ups,” Lumen said. “If you wish to change that, you do it at the office.”

It was my turn to frown. Her tone when I’d first startled her had been genuine. Now, she sounded stiff. “Keli is Evanne’s mother. Why would I want to remove her from the list?”

“No reason. I just wanted to make sure you knew the proper procedure.” Lumen’s smile was tight and didn’t reach her eyes.

I didn’t like it, but I had a more important question to ask. “Did she happen to say where they were going?”

She shook her head, and her expression didn’t change. “We didn’t speak.” I waited for her to add to her statement. After a long pause, she lifted an eyebrow. “Was there anything else you needed?”

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. My head had begun to pound the moment I’d realized I’d be late, and with every additional frustration, my headache had only grown. Clearly, Lumen was pissed about something. Considering the way her colleagues had looked at me, I had a feeling I knew why she was upset. My rash actions Saturday evening had consequences that not only affected me but Lumen as well. I’d give her some time while I reached out to Keli and found out what the hell was going on. Then, once Lumen was ready to talk, we’d do just that.

Until then, I had things to do. “I’ll be going now.”

Frustration twisted my gut as she ignored me, and my temper spiked. Without another word, I turned and stalked away. I had too many fucking women in my life.

As soon as I started the car, I used Bluetooth to call Keli, but she didn’t answer. In fact, it went straight to voicemail.

“Keli.” I struggled to keep my voice even in case she listened to the voicemail on speaker, and Evanne was nearby. “I don’t mind that you picked up Evanne, but I need you to let me know when you do that. I’m going back to the house. If you’re not there, please let me know where you two are and when you and Evanne will return.”

I waited until I ended the call before I swore again. Keli had done stupid shit before, but it’d only ever been mildly annoying. What had been happening since she’d returned from Italy was too much. She and I were long overdue for a talk.

The moment I opened the door, Evanne flew into my arms, chattering a mile a minute about how she and Keli were making pizza for dinner. I masked my relief with a kiss to Evanne’s forehead and carried her into the kitchen. The guilty expression that flashed across Keli’s face the moment she saw me was proof enough for me that she’d heard my voicemail, but I didn’t immediately accuse her of anything. Evanne wasn’t going to be present for the discussion her mother and I needed to have.

“The pizza’s ready to go in the oven,” she said, her eyes on Evanne. “Why don’t you start on your homework, and your dad and I will clean up, okay?”

“Can I do it in front of the TV?” Evanne looked at me for permission.

“May,” I corrected.

“MayI do my homework in front of the television?” she asked, the corners of her mouth tipping up in a grin.

“Aye, since you helped with dinner, you may.”

“Yay!” She ran toward the living room full tilt, and I couldn’t bring myself to remind her to slow down. With everything that had happened at the school and Keli returning, Evanne and my plan to run together had fallen by the wayside.

This needed to stop. Evanne had to come first.

“Keli, we need to talk.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was going to pick Evanne up today,” she rushed to say. “This past week, I’ve been trying to get back into my routine, and today I realized why it’s been so difficult. Taking Evanne to and from school has always been a part of my day during the school year. Without it, I felt like I was off.”